Escape from the Shadows
by Foton Soul
Summary: Sequel to "The Shadow of Yuma". Months after Yuma defeated Kurai, peace has returned to Heartland City. When the gang decided to have why appears to be a normal day together, an all-familiar foe returns. ON HOLD.
1. Taken

**The City of Shadows**

**It's finally here! The long awaited sequel to "The Shadow of Yuma"! :) First things first, things will be different than from "The Shadow of Yuma". I cannot explain why, but you will know as the story progresses. Sorry to keep you waiting, read on!**

**WARNING, SPOILERS AHEAD FOR "THE SHADOW OF YUMA"! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!**

* * *

_Three months ago, Yuma and Astral had encountered a boy that had a strikingly similar appearance to Yuma. He was Kurai Tsukumo, an anti-version of Yuma, hailing from Darkland City, Heartland City's opposite. The boy was a very dangerous and skilled Duelist. He had kidnapped Kotori from her home and forced her to be his queen, and Yuma's friends were turned into animals. Luckily, they had been freed from their curse after Yuma and Astral defeated Kurai with the power of ZEXAL. Kurai perished after Kotori successfully shot him in the chest with a flare. Soon after, Yuma and his friends believed that Kurai was gone for good._

_After the whole Kurai incident, people were a little uneasy around Yuma due to similar appearances. They calmed down a couple days later, accepting that Kurai was dead._

_Now, Yuma and his friends have been actually well since Kurai had been killed. Why don't we see how they're doing?_

* * *

The sun shone pleasantly in the blue, cloudy sky as the citizens of Heartland City mingled amongst one another. Everyone was bright and happy because it was the most beautiful day in Heartland. As for Yuma and his friends ((AKA, The Numbers Club)) they had decided to spend the day together, mostly to get a certain disturbing event out of their minds. They were having a blast, since they were at Heartland.

Nothing could take away this beautiful day.

Yuma and friends (even Astral) made their way from the "Mission: Space" roller coaster after the ride had ended. The kids were having an exciting day, but mostly Yuma.

"Oh, yeah, that was the best ride in the park! I feel like going for another round!" said an excited Yuma. "Who wants to go for another ride?"

One of Yuma's friends, a short boy with a blue bowler hat, had another idea. He reached into his pockets and revealed a park map. "Actually, I have a better idea, ura! According to the park map, they just finished renovating the House of Mirrors! I've heard that it's one of the most popular attractions in the park!"

"Oy, Tokunosuke, are you sure? I usually don't trust any House of Mirrors because… I feel bent out of shape just by looking at those strange reflections," chirped Takasho Todoroki, Yuma's Class Rep.

Cathy, a girl with cat ear-like appendages, added, "I think a House of Mirrors sounds fun, cat!"

"Come on, Yuma, I think I've had enough roller coasters for now. Cant we go on something else?" added Tetsuo.

"I've never been in a House of Mirrors. Can't we just go in it this once, pleeasse?" pleaded Kotori.

At that instance, Astral popped out of the Emperor's Key. He had a confused expression, which indicated he had another question about humans. "What is a House of Mirrors?"

Yuma turned to face Astral, knowing his friends would stare at him. But, they believed that Astral existed, despite that only Yuma could see him. The boy then said to Astral, "A House of Mirrors is like an attraction that is full of mirrors, but they're fun mirrors."

"I don't understand, how can mirrors be 'fun'? All you see is your reflection, like in the place called a bathroom," inquired Astral, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, well….. A House of Mirrors is supposed to be fun, since they like, twist your reflection. For instance, a mirror in the said house could make me look tall," added Yuma.

The ethereal blue alien then focused his gaze on a purple tent-like structure. "I would like to see this House of Mirrors. It seems very interesting to me," he said.

Yuma sighed, placing his hands behind his head. "I guess we can check out the House of Mirrors. After that, I'd like to see the Duel Arena!" he declared.

* * *

After trotting past various costumed people and rides, the Numbers Club finally made it to the House of Mirrors. The place's structure resembled a tent-house hybrid, but it was adjusted for a House of Mirrors. Standing by the entrance was a colorful ceramic statue of a mirror, with lots of delicate features. It's appearance was similar to a fancy elegant mirror like the ones in mansions. Overall, the mirrors had a unique touch to them, and looked so much like antiques.

"It looks like we're at the right place, ura," noted Tokunosuke, placing a finger on a picture of a purple building on the park map.

Yuma was already at the entrance when Tokunosuke finished his sentence. He tapped the door by the side. "Well, what are we waiting for? Come on!" he said excitedly.

Yuma's friends soon followed behind the boy as he led the kids through the entrance. Soon, they stood in front of a royal purple colored door. What was odd about the door was that there were stripes. None the less, the whole house looked inviting. After Yuma opened the brass door knob, thousands of mirrors shone brightly since the sunlight reflected from the glass itself. Astral was astounded by the amount of mirrors.

"_So this is a House of Mirrors! There are many mirrors inside of this house! Observation Number 45: A House of Mirrors is literally an attraction consisting of mirrors as inhabitants," noted Astral. _

"Whoa, the mirrors are so amazing, cat!" chirped Cathy, amazed by the amount of mirrors and the way it reflected light. Cathy was so enthralled by the House of Mirrors, she grasped Yuma's hand in excitement, much to Kotori's surprise.

"Come on, Yuma! Let's see what I look like, cat!" said Cathy, as she pulled Yuma towards a tall mirror.  
It was practically frameless, and it was just a big slab of rectangular shaped glass. The mirror glimmered as the sunlight reflected of it. Cathy then let go of Yuma's hand and darted to the mirror. She held her hands together.

"I wonder what I look like, cat!" squealed Cathy in wonder.

Yuma and the others stood behind Cathy, waiting for their friend's image in the mirror.

The mirror swirled, which was odd, and everyone was shocked to see the results of the twisted mirror. Instead of the real Cathy, all everyone saw was a girl resembling Cathy. She was different from the cat girl herself. A cheetah skin-like jumpsuit covered the reflection's body. Dark spots ran up the sides of the suit, legs, and arms. The real Cathy wouldn't be complete without her cat tail accessory, since the reflection possessed a life-like cheetah tail accessory. What was odd was that Cathy's opposite actually looked like a cat girl. There were cheetah ears on her head, claws were at the tips of her fingers, but could be retracted. Her eyes were a ocean blue, as opposed to Cathy's green eyes. To complete the outfit, Cat-chan's reflection possessed a handgun in the sidepocket.

Everyone, even Cathy herself, was so starstruck by the mirror's results. Who knew that Cathy looked so good? The mirror WAS magical! Why was it do mystic? Did it really have any supernatural abilities? Then again, the image was probably an illusion.

"Did that mirror really….?" said Tetsuo.

"Make Cat-chan beautiful, ura?" finished Tokunosuke, somewhat blushing at the result of Cathy's image twisted.

"I always wondered what I looked like in a magic mirror, but it made Cathy do pretty!" added Kotori, amazed by the mirror's effects.

"I gotta say, Cat-chan is perfect the way she is, but I think her reflection in the mirror is just as beautiful as the real her!" chirped Yuma.

"Oh my… Cathy's reflection is so…. Stunning! To summarize, I had never known a magic mirror could do that!" cried Takashi in surprise and awe.

Cathy turned away from the mirror and found herself blushing. She maintained eye contact as she tapped her fingers together. "You guys didn't have to compliment me… But I like it, thank you. I have to admit, it's amazing what a mirror like that can do to yourself," she remarked. The cat girl then stepped back to her friends to join them.

Unknown to Cathy and the other children, Cathy's altered image in the mirror gave off a malicious grin at the group. She was no longer kind and pleasant, but now cold like most wild cats. No one noticed this, but Astral managed to catch the action in time before the image disappeared.

"Something doesn't seem right about that reflection! I can't put a finger to it, but I remember watching Yuma looking at himself in the mirror at home, and his reflection NEVER moved! I have a bad feeling about this House of Mirrors," mused Astral.

While everyone was still chating with Cathy about her "magic mirror experience", the Class Rep raised his hand in the middle of their conversation. "I will go next! I'd like to see what I look like!" he chirped happily.

The moment Takashi posed in front of the mirror, the glass twisted again, and Takashi's image was soon changed. The boy had the same haircut, but it had a murky violet shade, along with a few yellow streaks. He wore a long grey coat with black sleeve ends, gold buttons, and a belt-like decoration strapped across the accessory. Takashi's reflection's outfit consisted of a simple black T-shirt and dark colored pants. Leather brown boots rested at the bottom of the pants, and a sand-colored fedora with a brown stripe rested on top of Takashi's head.

The Numbers Club was once again amazed by the mirror's magnificent effects. They applauded in awe and impression. Takashi, on the other hand, felt astounded by the effects. His eyes glimmered with curiosity and amazement. "To summarize, this is the most amazing attraction in Heartland I have ever seen! I look…. marvelous. Yeah, that's it! I feel so handsome just by looking at the mirror!"

"Takashi-kun, you look cute!" said Kotori, placing her hands together as she looked at the results of Takashi's altered image.

The Class Rep turned around, blushing. "You guys, thank you!" he said, slightly laughing in embarrassment.

After Takashi turned around, Cathy's twisted reflection and his own image looked at each other and smiled maliciously. They looked even more sinister, after their eyes became slit and smirked at the kids below. The reflections then disappeared at the same time, vanishing like phantoms.

Once again, Astral witnessed the event between the images in the mirror. He was shocked and concerned at the same time. Never before had he seen a reflection do that, yet it happened again! Astral didn't give a thought when Cathy's image moved by itself, but after Takashi's did the same thing….

Something just wasn't right.

While Astral continued to wonder about his unusual sight, Yuma and the others decided about their turn to see their reflection.

"Okay, why don't me, Kotori, Tetsuo, and Tokunosuke see out reflections at the same time? I don't want to take too long to see what I look like, neither does anyone else," insisted Yuma, who had waited forever to look at the Magic Mirrors.

A little while later, Kotori, Tetsuo, and Tokunosuke unanimously agreed with Yuma. The kids positioned themselves in front of the mirror, waiting patiently for the magic to happen. Astral, on the other hand, was anxious. He was worried because maybe Yuma and his friends' reflections could possibly move. None the less, to avoid anxiety, Astral stayed quiet. Momentarily, the mirror began to slowly warp, much to the kids' pleasure.

"Oh boy! It's happening, ura!" cheered Tokunosuke, rubbing his hands together.

Kotori smileandy the thought of seeing herself in a different way. "If Cat-chan and Takashi-kun say that the mirror is amazing, I think it will be the same too!" she chirped.

"I just hope the mirror really is supposed to be magic," said Tetsuo.

"Ah, you guys are worrying too much! What could possibly go wrong?" said Yuma happily, waving his hand.

Little did Yuma and the others know that something unusual would commence.

The mirror's glass swirled and swirled in endless color sequences. It was like seeing a hypnotizing illusion, except it was much more colorful and pleasant. Tokunosuke's image was the first pop up in the mirror. He was still the same height, only that he wore shoes with somewhat higher heels than his usual shoes. His outfit somewhat resembled a royal jester's costume. Tokunoksuke's reflection had on the usual bell hat and medical style clothes, and the color schemes consisted of purple and yellow. White gloves covered his hands, while those same hands made a balloon animal of Baby Tiragon. He then whipped out a Sharpie marker and drew dotted eyes, a nose, and a mouth on the balloon XYZ Monster.

Kotori was impressed by her short friend's image result. She couldn't help but squeal, "That balloon Baby Tiragon looks so cute! Even your own reflection is adorable in that costume, Toku-kun!"

Tokunosuke blushed in slight embarrasment, placing his hands behind his back. "You really think so, ura?"

After Tokunosuke's image vanished, Tetsuo waited for his to appear. "Come on, mirror, please don't make me look ridiculous!" he pleaded.

In an instant, a copy of Tetsuo made its debut in front of the hefty boy. He had on a sand-colored jacket and green pants accompanied by suspenders. Brown gloves were on his hands. There was no hat on his head, only a red bandana and the green tuft stuck out below the band. The bandana covered Tetsuo's image's left eye, which happened to be totally different from the REAL Tetsuo.

Tetsuo was astounded by the magic mirror. He took a step forward. The image didn't move a muscle, neither did Tokunosuke's. They stood perfectly still like Terra-cotta soldiers. "I gotta say, I'm impressed with the results! The House of Mirrors isn't so crummy after all!" said the boy in impression.

Kotori then took a step forward to the mirror after Tetsuo moved back. "I wonder what the mirror makes me look like. Maybe I would be dressed like a princess!" she wondered.

Soon, a brand new Kotori appeared right in front of the greenette. She had a pleasent smile on her face, just like the real Kotori. Her hazel eyes were the same, yet her hair was completely different. There was no bun or a ribbon in her hair, which made it a little messy. It was shorter than Kotori's hair. The girl wore a yellow felt jacket over a tan-colored top. She had on blue jean shorts and black leggings. Brown boots resembling UGGS complied with her style. Green-framed sports shades rested on her head and it appeared to be the opposite of Kotori's personality.

While everyone gazed upon Kotori's image, Yuma looked around for Astral. "Astral, where are you?"

"Over here, Yuma," came the reply.

* * *

The boy quietly snuck away from his friends to find Astral by himself in front of a oval-shaped mirror. The ethereal being cocked an eyebrow at his human partner. "What is it?"

"I hate to be a bother, but everyone is taking too long to see THEIR images. I want to see what I look like." said Yuma.

"I suppose it would be interesting to witness your image being changed. I guess it wouldn't hurt to come along," admitted Astral.

The boy clenched his hands together, facing the mirror in front him. "Alright, here I go! Mirror, mirror, what is my new image?" he said in curiosity.

A duplicate of Yuma made it's appearance in the glass. However, it was completely darkened and hard to see. It looked like smudges, except it looked more of blacked lint and dirt.

"Ugh, there's probably dust on it," muttered Yuma. He pulled out a cloth and carefully wiped the glass. Soon, the mirror was sparkly clean. "Why don't we try this again?"

Finally, the glass warped and made Yuma's image much more clearer. While the image continued to process, Yuma excitedly waited for the results. "Astral, this is so exciting! You have no idea how curious I am to see what I look like!"

Astral nodded in response, then focused his attention on the mirror. Once the mirror finished warping, his eyes went wide. His mouth fell open in anxiety. His hand shook as he raised a finger towards the glass. "Y-y-Yuma…" he whispered hoarsely.

"What, Astral? Can't you see I'm trying to-" Yuma cut off his sentence when he noticed his partner's entire shake as he turned away from the mirror. "Why are you do shaky all of a sudden? It's just a reflection."

"Look…." said Astral, pointing to the same mirror.

"I don't get why you are so afraid of my own reflection. If you're that scared, I'll just see for myself!"

Yuma huffed, muttering under his breath. "Why is Astral so scared of a reflection? It can't be that bad!" The boy then faced the mirror. "Okay, Astral! I'm gonna see this scary reflection'! It's not gonna get you-"

The boy stopped midsentence at the result of the magic mirror.

In front of Yuma inside the mirror was an all-familiar shadow. He shared the same appearance as Yuma, only there were a few differences. The boy in the mirror was shirtless, and his body was slightly toned. Two chest scars were embedded in his skin, having a dark link color to them. Sunglasses were in the boy's nose to reveal blood red eyes, along with a few sharp teeth. Yuma's shadow wore a purple jacket similar to his own, and blue sun patterns replaced the orange moon sequence. The shoes were the same, only the red replaced the blue parts in Yuma's shoes. Overall, he was strikingly similar and more venomous than Yuma.

Yuma backed away from the mirror in slight fear and nervousness. His mind raced and he began to sweat.  
This was not right, considering that the boy was all too familiar….

"A-A-A-Astral?…." Yuma jittered nervously, trying to stay calm. "Is th-that who I think it is? Tell me that this is only a d-dream!"

The slightly frightened ghost responded with, "I-I-I'm not sure, Yuma. I thought Kotori killed him months ago! "

"He can't be here, not now, not here! This can't be real!"

"SOMEBODY! THEY'RE GRABBING US!" screeche multiple voices.

The sudden outburst snapped Yuma and Astral out of their trance. Both human and Astral Being shook their heads.

"Yuma, what was that awful screech?" inquired Astral.

At first, Yuma assume that it was an effect, but suddenly, his eyes went wide in realization. "Oh no… Kotori… Tetsuo… Tokunosuke… Cat-chan… Takashi! They're in trouble! Let's go, Astral!" he cried.

* * *

By the time Yuma and Astral reached the main hall, horror commenced in front of their own eyes. The kids were individually being dragged inside mirrors….. BY THEIR OWN TWISTED REFLECTION!

All of the kids were helplessly being pulled by their counterparts, while they struggled to fight back. The twisted images were much stronger than them, sadly. Unfortunately, the kids couldn't go on forever.

They felt so helpless.

Finally, all of Yuma's friends ran out of energy and couldn't fight back. They began to slowly lose consciousness, and all of them fell down onto the ground, one by one. Smiling in success, each respective counterpart of the kids carried on their mission.

Yuma watched in horror while Takashi, Tetsuo, Tokunosuke, Cathy, and Kotori were all being dragged inside the mirror. The glass now appeared to resemble a portal, only it had a dark hole look to it. Each kid was helplessly heaved inside the glass, and Yuma snapped out of his trance. He realized Kotori was the only person still being dragged inside.

"HEY! Let Kotori go!" snapped a furious Yuma. In a quick second, he snatched Kotori's arm and engaged in a pulling match with Kotori's dark side. The girl was stronger than she appeared, since she pulled back harder. Yuma snarled in response, "Oh no, you don't- OOF!"

Kotori slumped as Yuma lost his grip on his friend. The evil girl smirked at Yuma through the glass as the last parts of Kotori fell inside the mirror. "Is that the best you got? You are so lousy for a guy," jeered the girl. She then proceeded to walk away as she slung Kotori over her shoulder.

Yuma rose from the ground and snarled, "You take that back, you monster! Who are you? ANSWER ME!"

The girl stopped for a moment. She turned around and said, "Why don't you see for yourself? There's someone behind you."

With that, the girl vanished.

"That girl, who does she think she is? She and those other reflections kidnapped Tetsuo, Takashi, Tokunosuke, and Cat-chan! Who sent them here?" growled Yuma, clenching his fists.

Astral nervously tapped Yuma on the shoulder. "BEHIND YOU!" he yelled.

Before Yuma knew it, he felt a hand grab him. It went around his neck while the other hand grabbed his clothes, pulling him in. Yuma struggled to fight back, but for some reason, the figure was stronger. "LET ME GO! Tell me who you are!"

The voice spoke, but it was VERY similiar to Yuma's. "I think you already know that answer, Yuma."

With great force, Yuma was helplessly pulled inside the glass, sealing the mirror.

"YUMA!" cried Astral. In an instant, he too was forced inside with Yuma. Finally, the portal sealed the mirror, concealing all sound.

Not one sound came from the House of Mirrors.

* * *

**What just happened…. Things can't be good for Yuma and his friends! Will Yuma stop this villian and his or her comrades before it's too late?**

**NEXT TIME:**  
**Yuma, Kotori, and Astral find themselves in a city unfamiliar to them. Meanwhile, Cathy, Tokunosuke, Tetsuo, and Takashi are nowhere to be seen and are separated from the others together. However, they don't know that they are being watched.**

**Photon Finex: Any comments or question, or if you liked the first chapter and the story so far, review please!**


	2. Lost

**Chapter 2**

**Thank you guys so much for your reviews, follows, and favorites do far! I am impressed that you like the sequel to The Shadow of Yuma already! Heehee, things are going to get serious!**

**On the other hand, I am thinking about writing a Super Sentai (the original source for "Power Rangers") and Zexal crossover. There is a poll on my page and you can vote which team you want Yuma and his friends to either meet, work with, or just use the team as a part of a story! The current poll choices for the Super Sentai teams are:** **Engine Sentai Go-Onger, Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, Tensou Sentai Goseiger, and Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger. **

**Other than that, enjoy Chapter 2!**

**PS: Tron's unmasked face somewhat frightens/surprises me. I am just do excited to see Zexal Yuma back in action! Yay! XD**

* * *

Kotori's eyes flickered open from her sleep as she regained consciousness. She could not recall much, due to her sudden awakening. Her mind felt empty and vague. Kotori tried to remember everything, but all she could vaguely memorize was something hard hitting her head, but she couldn't make out what she had touched. She then placed both hands onto her head and held it in pain. "Ow, ow, ow," she muttered, kicking a nearby piece of scrap, "stupid Tokunosuke, he had to suggest going to a stupid House of Mirrors! All I wanted to do was see my reflection, but I didn't want to be ATTACKED by my own self!"

Realizing she was enraged, Kotori took a deep breath, and she then felt her sudden anger vanish. She scanned her surroundings, the least she could do was try to inure out where she even was. The place she was in had trash piled into mini mountains and scrap lying all over the place. To make things worse, a light fog drifted around the unknown area.

Kotori put everything together after seeing the foggy junk and scrap-filled area in the night light. "I must be in some kind of junkyard! Heartland City doesn't have a junkyard, thats strange," she noted.

The junkyard was also humid, since night time hit. Luckily, Kotori wasn't wearing anything heavy. She only wore a T-shirt and skirt, which kept her cool. She wasn't focused on the heat, since her friends had gotten separated from her and she had to find them before it was too late!

After walking past many piles of scrap metal, Kotori began to feel exhausted. She bent down, placing her hands on her legs, panting, "I can't stop, I have to find everyone!" said the determined girl, "but I need to keep searching!"

Much later, she decided to sit by a pile of soft items to take a quick rest. Halfway through her sleep, Kotori swore she heard a moaning sound. She tried to look through the fog, but it was too thick. "How am I supposed to see through this fog?" she wondered.

Looking to her left, a small lantern was standing on the ground at the bottom of a rubbish pile. Kotori snagged the lantern and tested for any power. The switch was flickered on, illuminating the lightbulb inside. "Now I'll be able to see better," she muttered.

The greenette departed from her rest stop and continued to find the source of the voice nearby. After passing at least seven mountains of garbage, the voice went off again.

"Get away from me... I thought **you** were dead…" moaned the voice.

"I know I've heard that voice somewhere!" Kotori said, realizing that the voice sounded like a boy's voice, and it was so familiar. She listened carefully the source of the voice, and it appeared to be coming from a nearby pile of old rubbish. She quietly moved from her spot and made a beeline behind the pile where the voice came from.

On the other side of Kotori, Yuma was sound asleep curled into a ball by rubbish. The poor boy had trouble getting to sleep. He kept mumbling random things one couldn't make out.

"**He** was there….. Then the hand grabbed me…. I couldn't stop it… It took my friends…" moaned Yuma, his body slightly shaking in fear.

Out of nowhere, a sudden voice made the boy awaken from his sleep. "Yuma... Can you hear me?"

Yuma quickly snapped out of his own thoughts in an instant at hearing his name. He frantically jumped and snagged the nearest pipe he could find. The pipe was stuck out from his hand like a sword. Yuma swung the pipe while shouting at his supposed perpetrator in the fog, "Who's there?! I'm not afraid to use this pipe!"

"Yuma, I'm over here!" the voice called once more.

Now the voice sounded familiar since it was in close range. Yuma still had precaution in case this supposed familiar voice was an illusion. He took a few steps forward, then waited for any movement. _Come on out, whoever you are. I'm not afraid of you._

Momentarily, a silhouette moved throughout the fog. The shape became more clear and less darkened the more it came closer. Once the figure was now only a few feet away, Yuma could finally figure out the shape in front of him. He dropped his pipe and dashed to the now-all-familiar sillhouette.

"KOTORI!" he cried, reaching out his arms.

At that moment, Kotori heard her name called, much other relief, and did the same thing back. "YUMA!" she said in exasperation.

The two teens ran into each other, looking at each other's face, then closely embraced. Neither of them was no illusion, they were the real deal. All Yuma and Kotori needed was each other and their friends, and nothing was going to stop them.

Kotori gripped Yuma tightly as she embraced him. Tears of joy and anguish were streaming down her face. "Y-yuma, I-I-I th-thought I'd never s-see you again!" she cried between her tears. "It was so horrible! My reflection literally yanked me inside the mirror, and Cathy, Toku-kun, Takashi, and Tetsuo are gone! What are we supposed to do?! I don't even know where the hell we're even at!" Kotori buried her head into Yuma's shoulder, crying even harder.

Yuma placed his hands around Kotori's shoulders. "Kotori-chan…. You're not the only one. I need to tell you something."

"W-what is it?" she sniffled.

"Before we were abducted, I looked at my own reflection, but it turned out to be corrupted like everyone else's. When I got a good look at my reflection,** he** was there in front of my one eyes inside the mirror," Yuma confessed sadly.

In an instant, Kotori's eyes went wide with fear and her grip on Yuma's body became tighter. "Y-y-you don't meant **K-k-k….** I CAN'T EVEN SAY HIS NAME! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!" she shrieked, not taking the news very well.

Suddenly, a voice shrilled in the air, and it sounded a LOT like a certain cat girl. "Everything is wrong with you, little birdie, or should I say, chickens?"

"Tell me, do these clowns honestly think that they can seriously harm us?" sneered a voice similar to Takashi's.

"They're not really much of a threat to me. They're weak!" snarled a rougher version of Tetsuo's voice.

"I have to say, I never expected to see wimpish versions of the boss and his girl!" heckled a voice too similar to Tokunosuke.

Yuma and Kotori stayed quiet as they listened to the taunting voices. Thinking quickly, they dived behind a pile of tires, hoping to say out of sight. Kotori was now more frightened than ever. She was literally shaking with fear, and her eyes became full of anguish. "Yuma… Why are our friends teasing us?!" she whispered in hurt.

"I don't know, Kotori, but I have a feeling these guys aren't our friends talking," Yuma said in suspicion. "Something isn't right!"

Then, it all hit Kotori. The mirrors, the reflections, and now the tauntings. It all made sense! "Yuma, I don't think we're alone."

"Clever girl," sneered a voice similiar to Kotori's, whose silhouette was standing by a pole. Her shape was vaguely similar, but both teens couldn't make out the shape. "You haven't seen the last of us, but we can't let you roaming around like wild animals, can we? Oh wait, you're already freaks!"

Yuma snarled at the various similar voices taunting him and Kotori. Teasing at school was enough, but this had gone too far! "SHUT UP! Leave me and Kotori out of this! What the hell have we ever done to you?!"

Silence filled the junkyard for a moment. The voice spoke again, "You did nothing to us, but you and your little girl over there disrupted our friend's hope of becoming king of your world. You geeks will pay for what you did. Heh, I'm done talking to you losers!" The figure then faced the boys behind her." Pack it up boys! We have some maggots to deal with" she commanded, snapping her fingers.

Before Yuma and Kotori knew it, they felt something tick their neck before they could react. They both slowly felt their consciousness drift off as they swayed to the side.

"Ugh, Yuma…." moaned Kotori.

"Kotori…." Yuma said drowsily.

**THUD!**

Yuma and Kotori fell facedown onto the dirt filled ground.

* * *

After apprehending the targets, the girl and the boys accompanying her proceeding with placing metal handcuffs onto their wrists. While the teens were tying up their victims, they decided to search to see if they had anything on them.

"What do you see, boys?" asked the girl, monitoring the activity.

The short boy about the same height as Tokunosuke pointed at Yuma. "Check out that pendent on the shrimp boy's neck! It looks a lot like Boss's, only his is shinier!" he pointed out.

The girl's eyes flashed with realization. "Son of a... You're right." She knelt down by Yuma's unconscious body and placed a hand around Yuma's Key. "I think the boss needs to see this trinket. This could be important to him. Boys, I think we've found all we need! Pack it up, and let head back before the boss becomes angry. You know how much he hates it when we're late! Besides, the boss has a lot planned for us, even for Yuma Tsukumo and my mere counterpart, Kotori Mizuki. These two will definitely be a great help to our plan…"

* * *

**Welp, this can't be good! Yuma and Kotori have been captured by…. A girl and three boys? What is going on? Something is defiantly happening! What happened to Cathyc Tokunosuke, Tetsuo, and Takashi? Stay tuned!**


	3. Missing

**Chapter 3: Missing**

**Photon Finex: Hey guys! Here's another chapter for you, but this will be a short one!**

**Yuma: Why is it so short this time?**

**Photon Finex: More will be explained at the end. Carry on!**

* * *

Haru and Akari Tsukumo sat in the living room in their home worriedly. Earlier today, Yuma had left with some friends to go to Heartland. It was now almost midnight on the same day, and Yuma had not returned for hours. Things were looking pretty bad for Akari and Haru. It's not like everyday your little brother and grandson goes out with friends, but he had been gone for a long time.

Akari nervously shook as she held her D-Gazer tightly in her hands. Tears streamed down her face. The young woman was quite afraid actually, for her brother. If your brother was gone for hours and hasn't returned, surely you would have the right to be worried.

"This is so bad…. Yuma hasn't called since he left for Heartland with Kotori, Tetsuo, and their other friends. Why hasn't he called back?!" Akari cried, "if Yuma gets hurt, I don't know what I'll do!"

The small lady sighed, "I'm afraid I do not know what to do either…."

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

Akari rose from the chair, sighing, "I'll get it Grandma."

When Akari opened the door, she did not expect to find tear-stained women at the front door. Luckily, she was able to recognize each and every one of them.

"Dear, who is at the door?" echoed Haru.

Akari turned her head around, worry filling her mind. "Grandma, I don't think we're the only family missing a child."

A boy sat in a chair, his back facing the girl with the same silhouette as Kotori. His room was dim, which made him slightly hard to see. The only visible psychical feature about the mentioned boy in the room were his glimmering, blood red eyes.

The girl coughed her throat, then spoke, "Can I speak to you? It is very important you know about this."

Silence filled the room for a moment. At last, the boy answered with, "What is it, babe? Something good you found for me?" the male figure asked slyly.

The female shadow smiled evilly. She made her way to the boy's desk and sat on it. She placed a hand under the boy's chin seductively. "Make that two things, that shrimp boy Yuma Tsukumo, and the little baby bird Kotori Mizuki," she reported.

The boy sighed, "Is that all? I know I wanted Yuma and Kotori, but there's something crucial missing.." he paused. "It's Yuma's most important thing… Wasnt it?" he asked, realization hitting him.

The girl nodded and she reached into her shorts pocket to reveal a golden pendent. The necklace was placed on the desk and it was soon in the boy's reach. "Take a look at it yourself," she said, indicating the charm.

The male figure curiously picked up the artifact and spun it around from the band. The green orb in the center glimmered as his own blood red eyes did the same. "Oh my…. This IS indeed Yuma's key, AKA The Emperor's Key! You did well, Luka. I knew I could count on you and the others," he praised.

At that moment, Luka, the girl in the shadows, stepped into the light, finally revealing her true appearance. She indeed resembled Kotori, same facial features, eyes, and hair color. Her outfit matched the same one when Kotori had gazed into the mirror.* A silver charm of a crescent moon hung from her neck, and it stop a few inches away from the collar of her top.

"All that matters is that we have Yuma Tsukumo and Kotori Mizuki in captivity," continued Luka, "should we pay them a 'visit' now?"

The boy shook his head in dissaprovement. "Not yet, babe. The others are guarding Yuma's pathetic friends. Why don't we see if we can get any information out of them?"

Luka smiled evilly at the boy, snaking her arm around his waist. "Oh yes, let's. No sense of wasting our time," she said quietly to him.

The boy activated his D-Gazer and dialed a certain number on the phone section. "Come on, pick up!" he muttered angrily.

After a few beeps, a violet haired boy in the other end answered the call. "Boss, what gives?! The others and I were about to have some booze- I mean, margarita!" he snapped impatiently. "This had better be good!"

The boy sighed, then leaned in to whisper, "You know you're not supposed to have booze unless I say so! I'll let you off this once if you do me a favor."

"Oh yeah, and what's that?"

The red-eyed boy sneered. "I need you to get some information about Yuma Tsukumo and Kotori Mizuki from his friends. If they refuse to cooperate….. You can slip in some of 'Dip' in a drink for them. They won't know what hit them."

The violet haired boy's eyes went wide. He and his teammates had used 'Dip' before, and it's side effects were not pleasent. "You don't mean 'Dip'?! Don't you remember what happened last time we drugged a cop that shit?! He went insane all over us saying that we ruined his career! If we give Yuma's friends that crap, we won't get anything out of them!"

"Fine! Since you're so worried, just jab them with something that will make them talk!" barked the lead boy. "Don't let those rats get away. I need to know more about Yuma's Key. His special trinket here could be a very vital part to our plan."

* * *

**Photon Finex: Alright, now I'll spill the news. School is starting in a few weeks, and updates may be a bit slower than usual. Once again, I am very sorry for the short chapter. Until then, please do not ask me when the next chapter will be up. I do have one request though. If you guys would like to suggest an idea for this story, I say go for it! ;D**


	4. The Boy Returns

God, it feels like forever since I last updated! I had a case of Writer's Block and I've been pretty busy lately! Now all of that's been cleared up, I found enough time to whip up this chapter!

* * *

Inside a dingy, dim room, Takashi, Tetsuo, Tokunosuke, and Cathy had found themselves gagged and tied together. They did not like the idea of ending up somewhere like this one bit. All the kids wanted to do was spend a nice day at Heartland with their friends, but unfortunately, their fun had been ruined. The kids sat together on the hard floor under a single lightbulb. Not much light emitted from the bulb, but it was better than no light at all.

Underneath the lightbulb, the Numbers Club sat tied together like cattle. They had attempted to wriggle themselves free, but no luck succeeded in escaping. In other words, the kids were practically helpless. Looks of sadness fell onto each other's faces. One by one, each one of the kids managed to speak as if it were the last time, yet they struggled through the gag.

"Is this it for us? To summarize, this is too early for us to die," Takashi whimpered solemnly, as tears began to well in his eyes.

Tokunosuke looked down at the ground. His mind was full of guilt. "This is all my fault! If I hadn't suggested going to the House of Mirrors at Heartland, we wouldn't be in this mess, ura!" he sniffled.

Next to Tokunosuke, Cathy just meowed sadly. She put her head down and felt tears streaming down her face. "What if we never get out of here? We'll never see our families or anyone ever again!" cried Cathy.

Tetsuo felt a wave of angst amongst him and everyone. Maybe this really was the end for them. Would they be able to ever see the light ever again, instead of this run-down place? Deep down, he didn't want everyone to die full of grief. Somehow, he had to make them feel a little better... Then, it hit him. He coughed loudly do everyone could hear him.

COUGH!

Everyone stopped when they heard the loud noise. They turned their heads to see Tetsuo with a solemn expression.

"Guys, we're all here together and that's all that matters. If we die together, I would not want to remenber that, but shouldn't we at least tell our dreams?" Tetsuo said calmly.

Silence filled the room for a moment, then Cathy broke the silence. "Tetsuo-kun has a point... If this really is our last moment together... We should make it happy."

In response, Tokunosuke stopped sniffling and made a serious expression. "I concur with Cat-chan. No sense of dying with our last moment full of sadness, ura."

"To summarize, if this really is our last time together, let's make it the best one," added Takashi. He then made eye contact with everyone, before taking a deep breath. "To be honest, I have always wanted to do something with computers. You know, like stopping viruses and stuff," he confessed.

The kids gasped in awe at hearing Takashi's dream. They had always knew that Takashi was good with computers and Crashbug.

Tetsuo spoke up, "Class Rep, you're saying you want to do computer security?"

"If you put it that way, yes. What have you decided to do?" questioned Takashi.

"My deck is a Machinery deck, right? I may want to be an engineer!" revealed Tetsuo.

Tokunosuke couldn't help but give a small laugh. He moved slighty to the left. "You guys have the boring, working dreams! Me, I like to perform tricks, so I may be an Illusionist, ura!"

Next to the short jokester, Cathy was muffled, but she could still make out some words. "Umm... I'm not sure what I would like to do... But what I'd really like to do use my ability to communicate with cats and be a cat behavior specialist."

Breathing a huge sigh, Takashi felt more relaxed than ever, yet he still felt a bit of nervousness inside of him. _Maybe Tetsuo is right, all that matters is that we're all together... But Yuma and Kotori are missing! Have they forgotten about them?! Everyone just calmed down, I can't do this to them! I'll just keep quiet about Yuma and Kotori. _

CREEAAAKK!

All sound in the room ceased. The Numbers Club immediately shut up the minute that eerie piercing sound fell throughout the entire room. It sent a chill up their spine, just by thinking about the noise. The lightbulb still lit up, but it only lit up a circle around the kids. The kids couldn't see it, but a door immediately swung open on the south side of the room. Since the rest of the room was dark, all the kids could see were four figures walking into the room. They were hard to make out, but for some reason, the silhouettes were familiar for some reason. Once they were all in range of the single lightbulb, their identities had finally been revealed by the light. Down below on the ground, Takashi, Tokunosuke, Tetsuo, and Cathy's mouths dropped open in complete awe.

* * *

Elsewhere, Yuma and Kotori had found themselves in not the best place to wake up to: A prison-like cell. It was completely barred, and not much light came in through the only window in the cell. As of a few minutes ago, Yuma and Kotori had run out of ways to escape. The kids sat slumped against the stony wall. Sadness filled both of their minds, since the day just got worse. Here they were, in an unknown place, captured by people in a junkyard, and now they were stuck in a cell.

Yuma sadly clenched onto his shirt tightly at the area where his Key would have been. When he had woken up hours ago, he had realized his Key was missing, again. First, his Key was stolen by Orbital 7 and now it was gone again.

"Damn it, those thugs at the junkyard must have stolen my Key! I have a feeling that they have it! Other than that, ware we even here?!" growled Yuma, feeling rage build up inside him. Suddenly, a thought hit him. Astral had disappeared into the Key before he had been dragged by "Him" back at the House of Mirrors. "Astral is still inside the Key!" he realized. Yuma clenched his head in distress. Never before had he felt this stressed. "This is the worst day ever..." he muttered.

Next to Yuma, Kotori had rested her head on his shoulder. The girl had fallen asleep after many failed attempts to escape. Deep down, Yuma knew Kotori just wanted to go home. She wasn't the only one. Yuma and his other friends wished to go back too, but they couldn't. They were trapped in a hell hole. All Yuma could think about were those people he and Kotori had seen in the junkyard. He couldn't get a glance at their appearances, but he could make out their SHAPE.

Yuma placed his hand under his chin ad he thought of the thieves' shapes. He knew that there were five of them, and the girl taunting them at the junkyard: Her shape resembled Kotori. Yuma began to wonder about the Kotori-look-a-like. "Something about that girl makes me suspicious. Is she the leader of those other guys I had seen before?" he wondered.

Yuma's mind flashed backwards as he remembered another girl and three other boys behind the dominant girl. Once again, their shapes and VOICES were vaguely similiar to his own friends. Yuma gripped his head in frustration and growled. He picked up a rock with his hand and chucked it at a wall outside his prison. "Rrgh! This doesn't make any sense! What the hell is going on here?!"

* * *

Outside of the prison walls, Luka and the mysterious sillhouetted boy gave off a smirk while they watched Yuma struggle via security camera inside the boy's office. They practically enjoyed seeing Yuma like this: All stressed and confused.

Luka sat on the boy's desk with her legs in the air. She used her arm and gently nudged the boy next to her. "Yo, when do you think we should let Shrimp Head and Baby Bird see their true selves?" she questioned. "I can't stand just sitting here on a desk while they don't even know who they're dealing with! I can't wait to get my hands on Mizuki! God, Kotori is such a slut!" snarled Luka, pointing at Kotori's short skirt at the camera feed.

The boy placed his hand on the girl's shoulder. His blood red eyes just gazed towards an exhausted Yuma. "If it'll make you feel better, since Yuma feels like he can't be free, we might as well come out of hiding. We can't do that forever, now can we?"

* * *

A few hours had passed Yuma finally fell asleep from exhaustion. He had a really rough day, and he wished was home in the attic on his hammock. Nope, the only bed he and Kotori had was the hard, cold floor. Despite the conditions, both teens were sound asleep. Yuma snored so loud, it echoed throughout their cell. He muttered random words in his sleep. "Mmmm... Chocolate pancakes... Give me back my deck, Astral... Stop watching me go to the bathroom.."

CLICK! The door that lead to Yuma and Kotori's cell swung open as Luka stormed into the cell area. A smirk

fell onto her face as she approached get targets' prison. "These losers won't know what hit them! Just wait until they see Him again!" she snickered.

Luka opened a holster on her jeans and a pistol was revealed to be inside. She picked up the pistol by the handle and loaded it with a few bullets. "A few bullets wouldn't hurt as a wake-up call." Her gun was loaded, then Luka was ready to fire. She raised her gun in the air and it went off.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Yuma and Kotori jumped from the hard ground when the sound of a gun went off. They freaked out and grabbed each other in comfort as if their lives depended on it.

"AIIEEE!" Yuma and Kotori both screamed loudly.

Luka mentally slapped herself, since she did not expect this kind of reaction. Luka stomped up to "Oh my god, shut up! It's just a stupid pistol! You never heard of a gun?!"

Finally, Yuma and Kotori calmed down from the sudden noise. When they turned around, they got one of the biggest surprises of a lifetime:

The girl at the junkyard resembling Kotori's shape stood right at their door of their cell. She had the exact same appearance from the mirror Kotori was at in the House of Mirrors: Yellow felt jacket over a tan-colored top, blue jean shorts with black leggings, and green-framed sports shades on her head.

A malicious smile spread onto Luka's face. She began to jeer, "Well, well, well, what do we have here? Two cry babies crying over a gun bullet!"

At that moment, Kotori began to feel very offended. She shoved Yuma aside before he could say anything. She matched up to the cell door and maintained eye contact with her look-a-like.

"Shut your f-ing mouth. I am NOT your pet and you expect me to listen to you?! What kind of freak are you?!" snarled Kotori.

Luka, feeling offended as well, huffed. "At least I'm not a slut! You wear short skirts all the time!"

"Are you telling me that I'm a slut?! Shut the hell up, you dumb b*tch!" Kotori growled back.

Yuma scooted back away from Kotori. He never saw Kotori get this angry. Now was probably not the best time to break up the fight.

"You looking for a fight, Baby Bird?! I can take you anytime, any day!" Luka rolled up her sleeves clenching her fists together.

Kotori did the same thing. "Oh, I'm just getting started, you cow!"

"ENOUGH!" boomed a rough, yet familiar voice.

Kotori and Luka stopped squabbling with each other, and Yuma froze when he heard the voice. He had a feeling that he remembered that voice somewhere...

The door swung open in a fury and a cloaked boy emerged from the entrance. He growled while making his way towards the cell, mostly at Kotori and Yuma. Once he was at the door to their cell, he glared at Yuma and Kotori, then back at Luka. "Are these two bothering you? If they are, it's about time they saw the real me."

Inside the cell, Yuma and Kotori nearly felt a chill in their spine when they heard the cloaked boy speak. It sounded so vaguely similar to Yuma's, and it was rougher. The hooded boy caught the two shaking and smirked. He knelt down and all Yuma and Kotori saw were a pair gleaming, blood-red eyes. "Oh, Yuma, Kotori, I haven't forgotten our last encounter; where you know, SHOT ME WITH A F-ING FLARE?!" he snapped.

Then, everything came together to Yuma and Kotori. The reflection, the cloak, the blood red eyes... It was no doubt that the hooded boy was him...

"I've had enough of hiding from you! It's time you knew who I really am!" The boy placed a hand around his cloak and tossed it away with no care. His true appearance was finally revealed to the entire room. The boy's attire had consisted of a purple sleeveless jacket and white jeans with blue crescent moon patterns. He was completely shirtless, and his chest was covered with two jagged scars. A murky silver necklace with the same shape as Yuma's Key hung from the boy's neck.

Now that Yuma and Kotori finally saw the hooded boy's true identity, they nearly got a heart attack just by looking at him.

"You..." Yuma whispered hoarsely. "No..."

The boy gazed directly into Yuma's eyes and could see the fear in them. "Yes, Yuma... Kurai is back... I've never felt so much better..."

* * *

DUN DUN DUN! The moment had finally arrived! Kurai IS back, and he is ready to inflict revenge on Yuma! Can Yuma stop whatever Kurai has up his sleeves?


	5. Trouble Rising

**Oh my god, it's been a while since I last updated! Welp, school got in the way, but luckily, I was able to squeeze some writing into it and this chapter is the result! Starting with last chapter, things are starting to get very serious for Yuma and Kotori, since you know...**

* * *

Yuma and Kotori could not believe what they had just seen above everything else. Right in front of them was the boy they thought they would never see again. How could this be possible?! Kurai had died right in front of them! However, the boy standing in front of the two was one hundred percent real and able to walk and talk. Outside of the teens' cell, Kurai slowly approached them, step by step. A wide smirk spread onto his face as he made his path towards his and Luka's prisoners.

"Well, well, what do we have here? If it isn't Yuma Tsukumo and Kotori Mizuki! I haven't forgotten our last 'meeting', if you know what I mean," Kurai said smoothly.

Kurai gazed at Kotori and gave an insidious smile before reaching out his arm. His fingers lightly touched Kotori's soft, silky face. "Oh my... Your still as soft as ever-"

SLAP!

Kurai tumbled back as he pressed his hand against his stinging cheek Kotori had slapped. The girl looked very pissed at the moment, not even Yuma wanted to be near his enraged friend at the moment. "Don't. Ever. Call. Me. That. Name. Ever. Again," she hissed, a look of fury in her eyes.

On the other hand, Kurai was somewhat surprised by his "queen" and her reaction. "Kotori-chan..." he said in shock. A scowl quickly formed on his face, placing a hand over his stinging cheek. "I don't need you! You're just a waste of my time!"

Kotori rose from the ground and ran up to the bars. She glared directly at her perpatrator. "Oh, I'm a waste?! Is that what you thought when you forced me to marry you?! HUH?!"

Kurai recovered from his stinging cheek and retaliated, "Oh please, that was when I actually liked you. I have no interest in you anymore. Just so you know, I already have a girlfriend, for your information!"

"You don't mean that girl that looks like me?!" cried Kotori.

Kurai nodded. "Duh! Are you that stupid?" Scanning the room, he spotted the mentioned girl by a wall and snapped his fingers. "Luka, dear, could you come here for a minute?" he said persuasively.

The girl nodded in response, shaking her head. As she made a beeline towards Kurai, Yuma gaped at the girl resembling Kotori through his cell, then back at his friend. She definitely looked a LOT like Kotori.

Outside of his and Kotori's cell, the girl playfully slapped Kurai on his shoulder. Yuma and Kotori both raised an eyebrow in confusion as to why the Kotori-look-a-like just did that to Kurai.

Yuma quietly nudged his friend, whispering, "No offense, Kotori, but I think tour opposite is a complete punk! She is nothing like you at all!"

"Ugh, I can't believe that SHE is Kurai's girlfriend! She had the nerve to call me a freaking slut!" hissed Kotori.

The ghastly girl finished talking with Kurai. She faced Yuma and Kotori, brushing some of her hair out of her face after adjusting her sports shades. She hastily moved about towards Yuma and Kotori's prison. She knelt down and made eye contact with Yuma and Kotori, much to her displeasure. In response, Yuma held up his hands in defense.

"Look, I- ACK!"

The girl suddenly grasped him by his shirt collar and pulled him close to her face.

"Yuma!" cried Kotori, but reluctantly fell back when she looked at her counterpart's face. She was giving an expression as if she was saying, "Back off!"

As Yuma came closer to the girl, he realized that he was right about the girl. She had similar features to Kotori, but the two girls only shared facial features and eye color. The evil girl's eyes were slit like Kurai. The girl harshly pulled Yuma close to the bars and grasped him tightly.

"Listen here, Shrimp Boy," snarled the girl, poking Yuma in the chest. "I don't like you, or that slut, Kotori! I'm only gonna say this once, pipsqueak! My name is Luka, got that?!" Luka, the said girl, then shoved Yuma

back towards his cell wall.

Yuma moaned, easing his back. "Ow..." he muttered.

Luka whipped her head towards a jittery Kotori. A look of annoyance came onto her face. She angrily hissed, "I'm gonna say this once more, Kotori. If you make out with Kurai... Let's just say you and I are going to a 'talk'. Do I make myself clear?!"

Before she could continue to berate Yuma and Kotori even more, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She whipped her head around to see Kurai kneeling by her, smirking.

"You've done enough tormenting, Luka. Step aside. I have to show Yuma his most precious thing..."

"What precious thing?!" growled Yuma, regaining his posture.

Kurai laughed while sticking out his tongue. "Come on! You seriously don't remember your 'most precious thing'? Wow, you are so smart, not! Humph, if you really want to know... Do you remember... your Key?!"

The boy reached into his pants pocket and fumbled through them. His hands came across a bulge in his pocket and snagged it by the string. It came out of his pocket, swaying around from his hand. Yuma and Kotori just gaped at the sight of what Kurai had in his possession: Yuma's Key.

The moment Kurai revealed Yuma's Key, Kotori struggled to find the right words to say in this situation. "N-n-no way... You... How..."

Yuma, on the other hand, felt his anger boil rapidly the more he looked at Kurai holding his Key. Why was it that his Key was taken from him every single time?! He glared directly at Kurai, avoiding eye contact with Kotori's counterpart, his voice full of rage and in a low tone. "You... YOU BASTARDS! GIVE ME BACK MY KEY!" he shrieked.

Luka stuck her tongue at Yuma. "Try me, Yuma. You can't even get out of your cell! Are you really that separate to get your precious Emperor's Key back so badly?" she taunted.

"If you weren't such a bitch, you'd just give back the goddamn Key!" Kotori snapped.

"GIVE. ME. MY. KEY!"

* * *

Inside the Emperor's Key, Astral groggily opened his eyes as he slowly regained consciousness. He felt a ringing in his head because a minor concussion from earlier.

"My head hurts..." he moaned, rubbing his head to ease the minor injury. When his eyes completely opened, he was surprised to find himself inside the Key's subspace.

"What...? How did I get in here? Where's Yuma?!" Only silence answered Astral. Not one sound was heard for many miles. Even the wind made not one noise. Hence, the lone ethereal spirit heavily sighed. Astral crossed his arms, continuing to stare off into space. His mismatched eyes scowled at the thought of the situation. "What is going on?... Something doesn't seem right at all, but what could it be? This just doesn't make any sense!"

Unknown to the ghost, a ginormous silhouette stood right behind him. His pure red eyes gleamed in the darkness of the Key. "Astral... You are not alone in this," it rumbled.

Astral whipped his around around. His eyes widened as the sillhouette revealed itself from the dark side. "Hope?!" he yelled in surprise.

Before he knew it, the silhouette had stepped completely out of the shadows. 39 lowered himself to be at Astral's eye level. "Do not be afraid, Astral. A great evil has arisen once again. I can feel the darkness. It is very familiar... An essence similar to the boy impersonating Yuma..."

"You don't mean..." trailed off the invisible Duelist.

"Yes, I fear the one named Kurai is back for more trouble. Not only that... His friends are in danger... We must do something before time runs out."

* * *

Back in the real world, Yuma finally passed out from fighting to get his Key through the prison bars. He dropped his head to the floor and quickly fell unconscious. After the sudden attack attempt, Kurai and Luka and were starting to show a little intimidation. They were slightly shaking. Neither had seen any action like this before.

"Damn it, Kurai! You nearly made Yuma go insane! He could have killed us!" snapped Luka.

Kurai snarled, "How the hell was I supposed to know that Yuma would react like this?! It's not like I know everything about him!"

"He's your double! You should at least know that he would act like this for his stupid Key! What the hell is so special about this piece of shit anyway?" Luka snatched the Key out of Kurai's hands and she spun it around. The Key just dimly shone due to the lack of light in the room. "Meh, if you ask me, this is nothing but a piece of junk!"

"It is NOT a piece of junk! That pendent is all Yuma has of his parents!"

Both Kurai and Luka turned to see Kotori gripping onto the bars tightly. She had a look of anger in her face, and you did not want to mess with a pissed off Kotori!

"Kotori?" sputtered Kurai, "stay out of this! You're just a lost cause!"

The greenette scoffed, "Oh, I'm a lost cause?! You're the one who forced me to marry you! You tried to take over Yuma's life, and you turned my friends into animals! YOU and Luka are the lost causes! **In fact, I bet you sleep with Luka every single night!**"

As a result, Kurai and Luka's faces turned red in embarrasment.

"Th-that is none of your business!" They snapped in sync.

Kurai stepped forward and harshly grasped Kotori by her shirt collar. "Listen, girl, your stupid friends' lives depend on you and Yuma. If you keep bringing up me and Luka sleeping with each other, something will happen to your friends!" He let go and then looked towards Luka. "Care to show Kotori? Oh, wake up Yuma too! He'll want to see this!"

Luka popped open her D-Gazer. She pressed a few switches and then her D-Gazer rang. After a few rings, a similar voice answered. "Yeah, Luka? Whatcha need?"

"Put Yuma and Kotori's friends into view! I think they should see them. Besides, I bet they miss them so much," she mocked.

"Copy that, boss! Over!"

Moments later, while waiting for the signal, Luka made a beeline towards a sleeping Yuma. In her hand was a bucket. The girl sneered at Yuma. "Wake up Yuma, you're gonna be greeted by a nice wake up call, loser!"

SPLASH!

"AAAHHH! COLD, COLD, COLD!" Yuma jumped when the icy cold water touched his skin. He was now completely wet and freezing, much to his dismay. He grasped his arms and his body began to shake. "Brrr... C-cold... So c-c-cold.." he muttered.

"Get up, Shrimp Boy! You and the slut need to see something!" Luka barked. She then pulled him by the hood and dragged him towards the bars. Once she reached the spot, she let go of Yuma.

Kurai stepped in, gleaming over Yuma. "Who's the loser now? You! I never thought that I would beat you, but you and Kotori are completely helpless! Whatcha gonna do about it? Face it Yuma, you beat me last time at my own game! But, I'm getting back at YOU! How does it feel to be the freak now?!"

Unfortunately, Yuma was too cold to answer. All he could say was, "W-w-what?..."

Before Kurai got angrier, he felt someone tap his shoulder. Much to his relief, it was just Luka. "Babe, what is it?"

"The others are ready for Yuma and Kotori to see their friends," stated Luka, holding up her D-Gazer.

"Excellent. Oh, Kotori, if I were you, I'd make sure you and Yuma paired attention."

"Why the hell should we listen to you?!" spat Kotori.

Luka spoke into her D-Gazer, "Put up Yuma's friends, NOW!" She placed her D-Gazer in front of the bars for Yuma and Kotori to see. In just a quick second, Luka's D-Gazer view flashed to show the most frightening image that would forever be embedded into Yuma and Kotori's head.

Tetsuo, Toku, Takashi, and Cathy sat around each other gagged and tied up. Surrounding them were people looking exactly like them, and guess what? They were the same reflections from the park! Not only were they tough, but heavily armed. Each counterpart held a gun in their hand, in case one tried to escape. Plenty of other explosions hung around them, along with a few blades and whatnot. Down on the floor, Yuma and Kotori's friends had frightened expressions on their faces. They were completely frozen in fear and too afraid to move.

Yuma and Kotori nearly froze at the sight of their friends captured and being treated like animals. Why was this happening to them?!

"You're... A monster!" Yuma spat to Kurai. "What kind of monster are you?!"

Kurai only sneered. He actually showed no signs of intimidation. "Oh, I'm a monster? I suggest you keep your damn mouth shut, or else... Something will happen to your friends."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Kotori snapped.

Kurai sighed. He made eye contact with Yuma and Kotori. "If you do what I say, I'll let you and your friends live. If you don't-"

"Like the hell we'll listen to you!" Yuma angrily snarled.

Kurai and Luka turned their heads towards each other and smiled evilly. Luka spoke into her D-Gazer, "Kill the small nerdy kid."

Inside the D-Gazer call, a short boy resembling Tokunosuke (the said small nerdy kid) pulled out a knife and held it blade down in his hand. He only said, "I hope you said your prayers, because today may be the last day you ever live."

With one jab, the boy jammed the blade into Tokunosuke's arm.

"Toku-kun!" cried Yuma and Kotori.

The others tried to scream, but they were gagged.

Meanwhile, Tokunosuke felt a lot of pain in his arm. It felt like a thousand needles being stuck on his skin, but much worse. "OWWW! MAKE IT STOP! I CAN'T TAKE THIS, URA!"

The boy resembling Tokunosuke finally had enough of his counterpart's screaming and reluctantly pulled out his knife. Blood trailed up half of the blade. The liquid dripped like paint. The kids nearly turned white from the blood onto the knife. Tokunosuke took it worse. First, his face turned green from the sight. "Urp... I don't feel so good, ura..." He dropped unconscious due to a slight blood loss.

BZZZZT!

"Shit, our call got cut off," growled Luka.

Yuma and Kotori shook from the attack. Images of Tokunosuke being stabbed replayed over and over in their mind. If they didn't do what their counterparts said, their friends could be hurt even more! Both teens looked at each other with a sad expression as if they understood what each other were thinking. They both raised their hands above their heads.

"Just... Stop hurting our friends..." Yuma said in an emotional tone.

A wide, despicable grin spread onto Kurai's face. "You made the right move, for now. Remember, if you want your friends to live, you BETTER do what we say."

* * *

Outside of the entire building Yuma and co were held hostage, three silhouettes had their ears pressed to a device against the roof. They practically heard everything and recorded every word everyone had said inside the building. Their shapes were vaguely similar, but you couldn't make out exactly who they were, to be precise. The figures steadily removed their equipment from the hard roof after hearing everything.

"Hey! Wasn't there supposed to be more than just listen to Yuma Tsukumo's friend get mortally stabbed?!" said a rough female voice.

A male sillhouette to the left of the female spoke up. "Hmph, she has a point. What exactly is Kurai planning to do with Yuma? He already attempted to take over Yuma's dimension, if you don't recall! If this keeps up, chances are that something bad will happen!"

The third person, (just a but taller than the other male) assumed to be the leader, angrily looked down to the building. He clenched his fists to show how serious he was "These guys make me sick! I can't believe that they just hurt Yuma and Kotori's friend just so they'll be their personal guinea pigs!"

The second male placed a hand on the leader's shoulder. "We'll do whatever it takes to save Yuma and his friends! But, for now, let's move out before someone finds us here."

"You're right. We can't risk being found by anyone associated with Kurai, especially over their base. We'll come back here later to do more research. What I'm really worried about is if Yuma can survive..."

"Is something wrong?" questioned the female.

Sighing heavily, the leader responded with, "Yuma is trapped in a nightmare."

* * *

**Who are these mysterious figures? What are their grudges against Kurai? Can they succeed in helping Yuma escape? Find out more in, "Escape from the Shadows"... **


	6. Abducted

"Orbital 7, what are you trying to tell me?"

A tan-colored robot sighed, using his arms for emphasis to explain the situation. "Kaito-sama, Yuma Tsukumo and his friends have been missing from Heartland! No one in the entire city has seen any of them for an entire week!" he revealed.

A look of grimace formed onto Kaito's face. "Do you know when they were last seen?"

Orbital responded by quickly opening his chassis. After a little searching, he pulled out a slightly worn newspaper. He began to scan the article, "According to an interview in the newspaper, Yuma's family claims that he and his friends were spending the day at Heartland Amusement Park-"

Before Orbital could finish what he was saying, he felt Kaito's hands roughly grab the newspaper out of his metallic appendages. "Hey!"

Kaito ignored Orbital's pleas as he hurriedly opened the paper to the article about Yuma. He found the page and began to read through the text. "Heartland Amusement Park... I have a bad vibe about that place," he muttered as his eyes through the article. While finding more information, his eyes caught something interesting. _A worker confirms that he sold tickets to Yuma at the House of Mirrors attraction, thinking about a place like that gives off a odd feeling. One could get lost easily in something full of mirrors. All that ever surrounds you is your own reflection... Wait, __**reflection**__?! _

Kaito froze upon thinking of the word 'reflection'. He stood very still, although he shook a little. Behind him, a concerned Orbital slowly approached his master. "Kaito-sama?" he whispered.

Kaito's mind repeated over and over again, "Reflection, reflection, reflection..."

_"Kaito-sama, I found the security video! Rolling the footage now!" declared Orbital 7._

_A projected emerged from Orbital's chassis. Cables extended itself out of the chassis as well as it snaked into the computer. Suddenly, a video booted up from Orbital 7's chassis and started to roll._

_Kaito watched the security tape intensely as Droite and Gauche were seen in the tape heading toward the door. Suddenly, Droite was hit in the face and fell uncovious._

_"Droite!" shouted a concerned Kaito._

_Then, Gauche looked like he was arguing with someone. At first, Kaito couldn't figure out who Gauche was talking to. Oribital quickly fast-forwarded the tape to the point when the assasilant held up an all-faniliar card._

_"A Number card?" said Kaito._

_The tape then cut to when the mysterious figure jabbed a syringe into Gauche's neck. As the man fell unconscious, the assasilant's face could be seen. He zoomed in on the tape, and Kaito was very surprised._

_"Yuma?" Kaito shouted, "w-w-what's he doing here?" He turned to Orbital, "Can you track his location in Heartland Tower," he said in a worried tone, drifting his eyes to a sleeping Haruto._

_"Of course, Master," responded Orbital. His optics blinked for a few seconds, and a huge map projected from the optics. The map had the entire floor plan of Heartland Tower. Kaito was concerned about a moving blinking red dot on the screen. He then said, "Orbital, zoom in on that red dot."_

_The robot did what he was told. He extended his arms and tapped the dot on the screen. A live feed of 'Yuma' wandering through one of Heartland Tower's many floors had caught Kaito's attention. An unconscious Droite and Gauche were tied up together and trailing behind him, along with a oddly-shaped burlap sack slung over the boy's shoulders._

_Kaito turned away from the screen. He gazed upon Haruto, who was still sound asleep. "I've seen enough, Orbital 7," he said in a solemn tone._

_"Yes, Kaito-sama!" chirped Orbital._

_The security map shut down as Orbital 7's plugs detached from the computer and went back inside his chassis. He then wheeled towards his human master. "Is everything alright, Kaito-sama?"_

_Kaito looked at Orbital 7 solemnly. "No, it's not safe for Haruto to be here anymore if Yuma's going to attack Mr. Heartland or Dr. Faker. He could find Haruto and try to drug him! I won't allow it! Orbital 7, pack your bags, we're leaving," he boldly declared, still gazing at Haruto._

_Orbital 7 wasn't sure at first, but none the less, he would still obey his master. "Yes, Kaito-sama! Right away, but where are we going?"_

_Kaito walked over to the window south of Orbital 7. He gestured for the robot to come to him, and Orbital did so. The boy gazed outside of Heartland City's barrier at a mountain in the back. "Kappa Forest, Orbital, our cabin is still there. Until Yuma is done harassing everyone here, we'll stay over there."_

Kaito quickly snapped out his trance and shook his head. A hand was set near his head, mostly to relieve the slight headache. _Now that I think about that day I assumed Yuma had broken into Heartland Tower, I had a feeling that kid wasn't Yuma at all. Wait a second, I got a good look at his face! The only thing that was a dead giveaway were the eyes! They had a sense of evil in them..._

"Kaito-sama?..." Orbital quietly acknowledged.

The blonde simply scowled, crumpling the newspaper in his hands. He released his grip on the newspaper and walked away. "I'm leaving to investigate Heartland Amusement Park right now. Something doesn't seem right about the House of Mirrors attraction down there," he growled.

Once he set his own mission, Kaito proceeded to leave the room, but before he could, Orbital's wheeled in front of him and waved his arms wildly. "Wait, Kaito-sama! What about Haruto?!" he cried, pointing his hand towards a sleeping Haruto.

Kaito didn't look back, only glimpsing at his little brother. "Stay with Haruto and do not leave the tower! Do NOT follow me at all, Orbital! I'm sorry, but I have to do this on my own."

* * *

By the time Kaito had gotten past the gates to Heartland Amusement Park, it was dark out and the place had closed for the day. The only places lit up in the closed park were the street lights, which somewhat made the park a little creepy. No guards were around, so Kaito could freely explore the park until he could find the House of Mirrors.

After walking past many rides and attractions, Kaito found himself standing outside the main door to the place he never thought Yuma and co would dissapear: The House of Mirrors. The building did give off a creepy vibe, but it didn't intimidate Kaito at all. The strawberry-hair-shaped boy cracked his knuckles. "No holding back, I have to check out this place for anything out of the ordinary. Here I go," he motivated himself.

* * *

And then...

"Boss! Someone broke into the House of Mirrors! If he finds he mirror that leads to our world, we're screwed!"

"What do we do?! I've heard lots of rumors about that Duelist!"

Kurai heavily sighed, glaring at Kaito via a hacked camera feed. The blonde was making his way through the House of Mirrors, and at a rapid pace. The ghastly boy formed a look of annoyance. "If this brat comes any closer to the mirror I abducted Yuma from.. I want you two to kill him..."

* * *

The House of Mirrors was just as Kaito had expected: Ancient, a little creepy, and full of trickery. Thousands of mirrors lined up the purple walls, one by one. They all had various shapes, sizes, and different effects. Kaito took note of this the further he journeyed down the halls of the strange attraction.

"How could Yuma and his friends disappear from a place like this? It doesn't make any sense!" growled Kaito, glancing at every mirror hung among the walls.

The further he walked down the mirror-filled walkway, the more weirder the mirrors' illusions became. Before, the mirrors started off with altered images of Kaito's shape and size, but they were getting more and more ridiculous. Almost every mirror the boy passed now had him looking like a Duel Monster or an elf ((A/N: Try to imagine Kaito in an outfit Allegro from "Code of Princess)). That just made Kaito more frustrated.

"Damn it! How the hell could Yuma suddenly disappear in a place like this?! IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE!"

Unknown to Kaito, two of Kurai's lackeys had shown up hidden behind a mirror's glass not far away from him.

"Do you see him?" whispered the Takashi look-a-like, glancing through the glass. "He's all confused, so worried about Yuma!" He mocked.

The short boy resembling Tokunosuke giggled in a menacing way. "Yes, he's the fool here! Why don't we make our move?"

"Oh yes, we can't have Kaito Tenjo lurking around here, now can we?"

Slowly, the two boys quietly came out of the mirror's glass, tiptoeing behind Kaito. Both boys had their hands filled with a gag and rope. Mischievous looks spread onto their faces the more closer they got to Kaito.

"I hope you said your prayers, Kaito Tenjo. You will regret invading our world!" hissed the Takashi look-a-like.

Kaito growled, looking at every mirror surrounding him, comepletely unaware of the fact that someone was behind him. He continued to rant angrily at himself, or so he thought. "WHERE THE HELL IS YUMA?! GOD DAMMIT, THIS DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE!" He roared angrily, placing his hands near his head.

"Oh yes, it doesn't make any sense at all. What a fool," said the Tokunosuke doppelgänger, holding a tranquilizer gun. He readied the gun as he aimed it towards Kaito's legs. He peered through the eye hole ((A/N: I don't know any gun anatomy)) and readied his launching target. "3... 2... 1..."

ZING! The tranquilizer aimed right behind Kaito's right knee.

Kaito suddenly felt very drowsy. He had the sudden urge to sleep. His eyes slowly fluttered. "Huh?... Wha..." he slurred. He began to wobble a bit due to the tranquilizer's effects. Before he knew it, he collapsed onto the floor.

The two dangerous boys snickered as they approached the now-unconscious Kaito.

"Well, well, target acquired," said the evil Takashi.

The shorter boy tossed his gang member the rope bundle. "Let's get this freak out of here before somebody notices."

In just moments, both boys dragged an unconscious Kaito inside a duffel bag and slowly disappeared back inside the mirror, leaving no signs of their appearance.

The House of Mirrors was left alone, so perfectly quiet and still.

* * *

** Oh no... Kaito... Captured?! Argh! Things are looking pretty bad for Yuma! **


	7. Important Notice- From the Author-

If you are reading this, I have not updated Escape from the Shadows in months. Most of it is because of school and I never get much time to write. Because of that, I lost my sense of motivation to finish the story. I am sorry to say this, but I am considering taking down the ENTIRE story and I will be re-writing it. I know I left the story from a cliffhanger of some sorts, but I am under a huge dilemma.

To be fair, I want you to decide. Should I take down the story and re-write it, or do I keep on going with the current plot?

Sincerely, Photon Drake


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